Knockdown hog-crate



W. E. BUTE.

KNOCKDOWN HOG CRATE.

j APPLICATION FLLED-JULYB. 1919. 3,381,892. PatentedJune 14, 1921;

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

v Inventor WJZM M V T a,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAIII I]. BUTE, OF STANI-IOPE, IOWA.

KNOGKDOWN HOG-CRATE.

Application filed July 8,

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Born, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Stanhope, in the county of Hamilton and State of Iowa, haveinvented a certain new and useful Knockdown Hog-Grate, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a knockdown hog crate ofsimple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A. further object is to provide a crate having end closure members forpermitting access into said crate, and means for locking said closuremembers.

Still a further object is to provide a knockdown crate comprising abase, wall members, a top and means for removing the base so as topermit the collapsing of the remaining portion of said crate.

Still a further object is to provide a wheel mounted base having; adetachable crate mounted thereon, and means so that the device canreadily be moved from place to place, and when the crate is detachedfrom said base the base can be used as a cart or the like.

Still a further object is to provide a crate detachably mounted onwheels, where after detaching said crate from said wheels said crate maybe collapsed.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thedevice, whereby the objects con templated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of my device.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of my device.

Fig. 3 is a central sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows a sideelevation of the truck after the crate has beendetached therefrom.

Fig. 5 shows a view of the device'when collapsed.

Fig. 6 shows an end view showing the door members and the closing meansfor the doors; and r Fig. 7 shows a view taken on the line 7 -7 ofFig.2. 7

In the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 toindicate generally base or platform. The'loase 10 is mounted on casterwheels 11. The base 10 comprises a pair of longitudinal angleSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1 1, 1921.

1919. Serial No. 309,393.

irons 12, and the caster wheels 11 are secured to the angle irons 12 bymeans of the bolts 18. Resting upon one side of the angle irons 1s afloor 1 1-, which is comprised of a series of boards. Resting upon theboards are strap members 15, which are bolted through the boards and thelower portions of the angle irons by means of the bolts 16. The strapmembers 15 extend over all of the floor boards and thereby keep the doorboards upon the lower portion or the angle irons.

The angle irons have a plurality of openings 17 in their ends, which areadapted to receive upright posts 18. The posts 18 have screw-threadedportions 19 and 20 thereon, which are adapted to receive nuts 21 and 22.Sleeves 23 are placed upon the upright posts 18. Between the sleeves 23on opposite sides of the device are wall members 24 which hzwe theirends adapted to straddle the posts 18. The ends of each wall member 24:are arranged so that one end comes on the inside of one of the uprightposts and the other end comes on the outside of another of said posts.

Rods 25 are fastened at their ends to the upright posts 18. The members24 and 25 form side wall members for the crate.

Pivoted on the upright posts 18 are end door members 26. The doormembers 26 i have secured thereto rods 27 which are adapted to wraparound the posts 18, thereby forming a hinge member.

Pivoted on one of the posts 18 at each end of the crate are hook members28 which have elongated slots 29 therein. Fixed on the door 26 areprojections 30 having openings therein. The members 28 having the slots29 therein are adapted to pass over the projections 30. and a rod 81 ispiacedinto the openings 30, thereby locking the door member 26 againstmovement.

A bar 32 which has its ends fastened around the posts 18 and restingupon the lower portion of the angle irons 12, is clesigned to actastopagainst the inward movement of the door. member 26.

Fixed on the posts 18 at their upper ends are cross rods 33 havinginwardly extending hook portions 34. A red 35 is adapted to have itsends received in the hooks 3 1 of the cross rods 33, and acts as a topfor the crate.

Bolted to the angle irons 12 are vertical, upwardly extending angleirons 36 and 37. The vertical angle irons36 and 37 are also fixed to themember 24 by means of rivets 38. A cross member 39 is secured to theupper ends of the angle irons 36 and 37 by means of the wing bolts 10.At the forward end of the crate and secured to the angle irons 12 arethe extensions ll, which have openings therein'which are adapted toreceive the handles or tongues 42.

In the practical operation of my device when the crate is substantiallyfixed as is shown in Fig.1., the end door members 26 are opened by theremoving of the upright rod 31, from the lugs 30 and swinging themembers 28' a quarter of a turn so that the door may be opened away fromthe crate. It is then very easy to place the animal in the crate, as itis only necessary to force the animal to walk forward into the crate.

When it is desired to remove the animal from the crate the door on theopposite end is opened and the animal again compelled to move forward.

It will be noted that with my improved construction the animal alwaysenters and leaves the crate by moving forward.

When it is desired to detach the crate from the wheels the nuts 22 areunscrewed the members 36 and 37 are unbolted and the entire crate isthenraised away from the platform and the wheels. When the crate is removeda truck comprising plattorm and caster wheels, having a tongue at theforward end, will be left, substantially as is shown in Fig. 4: of thedrawings. In this way when the crate portion removed the remainingportion may be used for carting freight from place to place.

When it is desired to remove any of the boards from the floor of theplatform, for repairing or replacing it, the bolts 16 are unscrewed andthe straps 15 are taken ofi the top of the boards, thereby perini tingthe board floor to be taken apart.

- It will be noted that when the crate portion is separated from thewheel-mounted platform, substantially four wall members The walls andthe top member will-be left. being pivoted to the upright posts 18 canthen be moved so that the side walls will come together and the end andside walls 7 will then form a parallelogram, substantially as is shownin Fig. 5 of the-drawings.

If it is desiredto collapse the entire crate and platform the bolts 16are removed so as to permit the floor boards to be taken 'from'theplatform and then the crate and walls can be collapsed in thesamemanneras if the crate had been removed from the platform. i

' It will be seenthat before the crate could be collapsed the cross bar39, which is bolted tethe upright angle irons 36 and 37, would have tobe detached at one end.

'lhisis done removing one of the wing bolts 40 and using the other as anaxis, and the cross member 39 could then be thrown around until it wouldstand adjacent to one of the invention, and it is my intention to cover0 by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanicalequivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

l. claim as my inventioni .1. In a knock-down crate, a wheel mountedbase comprising laterally spaced, longitudinally arranged, angle irons,caster wheels for supporting said angle irons, a floor resting on saidangle irons, upright posts 'de' tachably mounted on said angle irons,side frame members on opposite sides of the crate, pivotally supportedon said posts, doors pivotally supported 011 the posts at each end ofthe crate, cross members pivoted to the upright posts at each end of thecrate, a central longitudinal member, pivoted at its ends to therespective cross members.

2. In a knock-down crate, a wheel mounted base comprising laterallyspaced, longitudinally arranged, angle irons, caster wheels forsupporting said angle irons, a door resting on said angle irons, uprightposts detachably mounted on said angle irons, side frame members onopposite sides of the crate, pivotally supported on said posts, doorspivotally supported on the posts at the opposite ends of the crate,means for locking the doors in closed positions, cross members pivotedto the upright posts at each end of the crate, a central longitudinalmember, pivoted at its ends to the respective cross members, uprightmembers secured to said angle irons near the middle of the crate, and across member for connecting the upper ends of the said last descibedupright members. V

3. In a collapsible hogcrate, a base, side frame members pivotallysupportedon opposite sides of the crate, doors pivotally supported onthe posts'at bllG opposite ends

